As we open our Mount Kelly City campuses this September, with our Prep and Pre-Prep schools, we have been busy recruiting an excellent team of British Qualified staff. We were impressed with both the number and quality of applicants, most of whom have been recruited directly from the United Kingdom. We are committed to delivering a first class, British style education with the very best teachers working with small classes, with a maximum class size of 18. With all our staff across the school, there will be excellent child to staff ratios of 1 teacher for every 8 children. This close support will ensure that our pupils are encouraged to think outside the box and develop a love of learning. Our new staff will be able to creatively deliver the English National Curriculum, utilising impressive resources and facilities.

Mount Kelly will have a unique partnership between staff, children and parents and we count ourselves fortunate in having recruited such dedicated, enthusiastic and well-qualified teachers in both the Pre-Prep and Prep Schools. All of whom are very keen for the start of the new school and new term in September!

Our class teachers have been carefully chosen to provide academic, social and emotional support to the pupils. In the Prep School our form tutors will provide pastoral support and academic matters are monitored by the subject teachers and heads of department.

Amongst this cohort of new staff, we are delighted to welcome our latest addition to the Mount Kelly team, Ms.Olivia Stirling(B., Sc OT). Olivia is our new Playgroup Leader and she will be based at our new Austin Tower Centre delivering our innovative Playgroup classes. Olivia is a passionate and enthusiastic Playgroup Leader, who has extensive experience and expertise in working with young children. Olivia thrives on encouraging children to develop their confidence, self-esteem, intellectual abilities and social skills.

Our recent Ground Breaking Ceremony was a great success and a milestone in the development of our new school. It really marked the start of realising a vision. The vision of opening a new British school, Mount Kelly School Hong Kong. My grateful thanks to the Mount Kelly team in Hong Kong for all their hard work in making the event such a success.

It was also a pleasure to welcome and host Mr Mark Semmence, Headmaster of Mount Kelly UK who came to Hong Kong to participate in the event with us. Mount Kelly International represents the first overseas venture for the school. I would also like to pay tribute to the endeavours of the Mount Kelly UK Board of Governors for their global aspirations, which are now being realised.

The ceremony provided a wonderful opportunity to meet together as a community, to celebrate and share together in the historic event, which included burying a time capsule to commemorate the date.

Mount Kelly will help pupils to join one of the very best English independent boarding schools, with 140 years of history. We share a common ethos and set of values with our sister school in England. Mount Kelly is known globally as a school with high expectations, high standards and high achievements. As with the sister school in Devon, Mount Kelly School in Hong Kong will offer a quintessentially classic English education, combining small class sizes and individual attention, which go hand in hand with a wealth of extra-curricular opportunities. Both Mr Semmence and I are keen to establish a close partnership between our two schools, with future collaborations and opportunities for both sets of pupils in the future.
———-

I have been delighted to meet so many families at our ‘Meet the Head Master’ events recently. It has been inspiring to see such interest in our new school from families who are keen to learn more about what Mount Kelly will offer. We have seen a great demand for places at these events, which are now unfortunately full until the end of the year. However, we will be organising more sessions in the New Year. Please do sign up if you have been unable to come along to date. We look forward to welcoming you to our Admissions Office.

It certainly is an exciting time for Mount Kelly as the date for our historic Ground Breaking Ceremony nears (on November 5th). We are looking forward to a wonderful event that symbolises the start of our exciting journey, bringing 140 years of British education from Mount Kelly School to Hong Kong. We look forward to welcoming many distinguished guests, including the Head Master of Mount Kelly UK, Mr Mark Semmence as well as many Old Kelleians (Mount Kelly alumni) who live in Hong Kong.

As I settle into my new role here as Head Master, I have been delighted to meet with many prospective families. Clearly both local Hong Kong families and the international community in Hong Kong are very interested in our new school and the level of interest has been extremely high.